1825–35, < Canadian French, plural of French dial. (Normandy) dalle literally, sink ≪ Germanic; compare Old English dæl dale
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Continuing our road in the afternoon, we ascended to the uplands, where the river passes round a point of great beauty, and goes through very remarkable dalles, in character resembling those of the Columbia.
From The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California To which is Added a Description of the Physical Geography of California, with Recent Notices of the Gold Region from the Latest and Most Authentic Sources by Frémont, John Charles
They had continued to follow the stone dalles of the embankment and were now near the end of the Quai; he stopped short again, and again stared at the mountains.
From A Woman's Will by Caliga, I. H. (Isaac Henry)
And I set to work that day to list-rub the last few dalles of the jet.
From The Purple Cloud by Shiel, M. P. (Matthew Phipps)
But the early French hunters and trappers called a chasm or a defile or gorge, "dalles," meaning in their vernacular "a trough"—and "Dalles" it has remained.
From Oregon, Washington and Alaska; Sights and Scenes for the Tourist by Lomax, E. L. (Edward Lloyd)
The preglacial course of the Wisconsin south of the dalles has never been determined with certainty, but rational conjectures as to its position have been made.
From The Geography of the Region about Devils Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin by Atwood, Wallace W.
In Oregon, Google and the city of The Dalles fought for 13 months to prevent the Oregonian from getting records of how much water the company’s data centers were consuming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2024
Now tourists only need to zoom about 20 minutes south from The Dalles on U.S.
From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2024
We spent our first two nights at the Columbia Gorge Hotel & Spa in Hood River, 22 miles east of The Dalles.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
While data centers aren’t major employers, they have had a profound effect on the handful of small Oregon communities where they operate, including Prineville, The Dalles and the regions around Boardman and Hermiston.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2023
McBean sent a courier down the River to convey the tidings to Vancouver, but this courier did not even stop at The Dalles to warn the people, though they were not attacked.
From The Columbia River Its History, Its Myths, Its Scenery, Its Commerce by Lyman, William Denison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
